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Aquarium wipe-outs blamed on city water

Here's a cautionary tale about the value of good source water and RO/DIs. Multiple aquarists in Millom, England experienced mass fish casualties after performing routine water changes.

Trusting tap water is risky business. Photo by 'timquijano'

March 3, 2012: Within hours after doing water changes, aquarists in the town of Millom, England were shocked to find all their tropical fish dead. The spokesman for United Utilities (Millom's municipal water provider) claims no water quality problem was detected, but the mass fish casualties clearly tell a different story.

This sad news should remind aquarists about the importance of using high quality water for their water changes and top-off. While our hobby preaches the value of reverse osmosis systems, we know many aquarists still use dechlorinated tap water. Perhaps horror stories like this can sway everyone to invest in a good multi-stage RO/DI system with carbon prefilter. Need more convincing? Read Randy Holmes-Farley's article about the risky business of using tap water in the home aquaria.